UConn Students Killed in Columbia Crash

Two UConn students were killed in a crash in Columbia on Friday after a car collided with a tractor trailer.

The university identified the students as sophomores Alana Ferrante and Ryan Meegan, both of whom “epitomized the very best of UConn.”

Ferrante, 19, of South Windsor was a a pre-kinesiology major who recently transferred from Central Connecticut State University. Meegan, 19, of Ridgefield was a pre-teaching major, a mentor in UConn’s First Year Experience (FYE) program and was involved in competitive soccer and rugby groups on campus.

The university did not name a third student who was injured in the crash, saying they hoped for the student’s swift and full recovery.

Police say the crash occurred around 4 p.m. Friday on Route 66 in Columbia when the car the students were in was struck on the right side by a tractor-trailer driven by Adolfo Lopez, 48, of Hartford. The tractor trailer was traveling east on Route 66 just before the West Street junction while the students’ car was traveling south on West Street just before the Route 66 junction.

The tractor-trailer struck the car just as it entered the intersection, police said. Both vehicles involved in the crash came to rest off the eastbound shoulder off Route 66, colliding with a utility pole that snapped at its base.

Lopez was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The driver of the students’ car identified by state police as 18-year-old Hannah Marguerite Schmidt, 18, of Hebron was taken to Windham Hospital and later transferred via LifeStar to Hartford Hospital with serious injuries.

Both Meegan and Ferrante were pronounced dead at the scene. Ferrante was the passenger in the front seat and Meegan was sitting in the backseat.

The university is offering counseling services to those who knew Ferrante and Meegan.

Columbia is located in Tolland County.

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